The BAU Baby
by ashlovesCM
Summary: after a long case the team decide to stop off at Rossi's for a drink but find their plans interrupted when a box left on the doorstep has permanent effects on all their lives. features baby!Reid.
1. a doorstep surprise

"I thought you couldn't wait to get back home?" Rossi asked after swinging open his front door and raising an eyebrow, his other five teammates were smiling sleepily back at him as they gathered together.

"We'd be back there already if it weren't for Garcia practically dragging us here" Emily grumbled while stepping inside and leading the party inside and into the main living room.

Rossi couldn't help but smirk at that comment as he collected six glasses from his kitchen and brought them to the group. "What's the gathering for then, Garcia?" He asked once everyone was settled with a drink.

"Well…" Garcia began as she tried to hide her excited smile. "I thought after the amount of cases you had been rushing off on lately you might need a little break… So, I had a word with Strauss and-"

"What?!" Morgan, Emily and JJ questioned in unison, stopping the tech queen in her tracks.

"You _actually_ talked to Strauss about us being overworked?" Emily added with a small spluttering laugh splitting through her voice.

"Yep" She announced proudly. "And I managed to convince her that you guys have been working _way _too hard and if she wants you in tip top condition she has to give you a little break"

"And she agreed?" JJ asked in a slightly squeaky voice from surprise.

"Well, who could say no to me?" Garcia said and grinned widely. The entire group smirked at her and congratulated her on the impressive feat before raising their glasses and toasting to a long fortnight without interruption.

"We should take her on our cases, you know?" Morgan added with a wide smile. "If Strauss can't say no then how could an UnSub?"

Garcia pulled a face and patted Morgan's cheek. "Not my area, sug. I dish the dirt when I'm in my lair. Leaving my screens isn't in my job description" She stated which made the team smile even more.

"So when does our leave start?" Rossi questioned.

"If we can finish up all the paperwork tomorrow then we should be free by the next day. Strauss'll probably run it by us tomorrow anyway" The tech queen answered.

A doorbell ringing interrupted the joking and Rossi rose to answer the late caller. He got an uneasy feeling when he looked through the peephole and saw no one there but proceeded to pull the door open slightly anyway.

He let out a breath of relief when he saw the gloomy shadows didn't hold the monster his mind had concocted and was about to close the door when a baby's cry rang out. His eyes immediately dropped to the ground and found the source of the crying, a small baby boy wrapped in a thin blanket and placed in a cardboard box.

Rossi didn't hesitate in dropping to his knees and scooping up the little boy, not even thinking what he was doing until the boy was safe in his arms.

"Must've been a prank" The senior profiler distantly heard Morgan suggest as he hushed the infant and carried him back to the living room.

The group took a few moments to process what was in the man's arms before they burst into questioning.

"Is that a baby?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Whose is it?"

Hotch held his hand up for quiet when the baby let out another cry and everyone feel silent. He took a deep breath then approached the dazed man and looked down at the child.

"He was on the doorstep" Rossi mumbled while staring down at the bundle in shock.

Hotch watched the baby for a moment longer then made his way out of the room, down the corridor, to the door, picked up the box then brought it back to the group.

"A real doorstep baby" Garcia murmured as she took out a stained white blanket that had been left in the box and examined it.

JJ silently picked up the letter left in the bottom of the child's container, opened it and began to silently read it.

"He can't be older than a month or two" Emily said as everyone, minus the media liaison, gathered round the baby.

"It says he was born on October ninth…" JJ stated as her eyes glided through the words.

"That was only three weeks ago" Rossi mumbled as he soothingly rubbed the upset baby's back.

"What are we going to do with him?" Garcia asked in a soft voice as Hotch moved next to JJ to read the letter.

"What kind of person leaves a baby on a doorstop?" Morgan growled as he ran a hand over the back of his head. "It's freezing out there!"

Mumbled agreements spread through the group but no one dared say anything more. A few minutes later Rossi adjusted the baby in his arms and realized he'd fallen asleep, his facial muscles relaxed and his breathing steady.

"We can't put him back in that" Emily muttered as she held up the flimsy cardboard box and tossed it aside.

"What else can we do with him?" Rossi questioned as the baby boy let out a deep breath and stirred in his arms.

JJ thought for a moment then dropped the letter on the coffee table and led the group through the house and into one of the guest bedrooms.

"Em, help me get these pillows round the side" The blonde instructed as she began pulling the bedding off, folding it and creating a smaller, padded area for the baby.

The raven haired woman nodded diligently then took the pillows from the head of the bed and surrounded the prepared space.

A few minutes later the two women took a step back and examined their makeshift crib. "It'll do for tonight" Emily said as Rossi laid the baby down in the centre and placed a small woollen blanket over the boy.

Hotch walked into the room a few moments later and studied the child's current sleeping arrangements before making his way to the group. "We've got to call social services in the morning" He stated to Garcia's dismay. "Whoever left him made perfectly clear in the letter that they aren't coming back for him"

"They also said they wanted us to look after him" JJ added which brightened some of the team up.

"What are we going to do on cases?" Hotch questioned. "Take him with us and surround him with every horrible crime that could be thought up?"

"Of course not!" JJ growled angrily.

"So we'll just pass him from person to person then. That's a great idea, isn't it?"

"It's better than being stuck in a system that will never find him a home!" The media liaison finally snapped. "At least with us he'd be loved and cared for"

Hotch thought for a few moments then rubbed his head and sighed in defeat.

"Why don't we talk about this in the morning?" Morgan suggested. "It's been a long day and we're all too tired to think sensibly when we're this tired"

"You can bunk down in the other spare rooms if you don't want to leave" Rossi added when the women didn't look like they were going to budge. "There are two single beds in one room and another with a double bed and sofa if that appeals to anyone"

"Emily and JJ can have the single beds" Hotch finally instructed when no one said anything. "Garcia can have the double bed and Morgan can sleep on the sofa in Garcia's room"

"Where are you sleeping?" JJ asked as the others left for their rooms.

"The sofa in the living room… I'd rather be close to the door encase whoever dropped the baby off comes back" Hotch answered in a quiet voice as she checked the baby again before leaving.

JJ stepped up to the crib and ran a finger over the sleeping baby's cheek. She hadn't noticed in the rush some of the smaller details of the boy that she now was taking in. Chestnut hair was springing from the top of his head; his cheeks were a slightly darker shade of pink compared to the rest of his skin and the corner of his eyes crinkled when they were closed. She smoothed out the few strands of hair and softly kissed his forehead before whispering a goodnight and leaving for her own bed.

**So I've already got a LOT of fics I need to update but I've had a big bout of writer's block and this is one of the few things I've been able to write so I decided to post it. Encase anyone didn't guess, the little boy is Reid! There are no ships in this story and it's just a nice fluffy family type thing. If you have any requests for more or less of certain characters or if there's any areas you think I've gone wrong with baby Spencer (I'm not around babies that young too often) I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me know. Please review if you've got time!**


	2. baby's first day home

**I've had to write and rewrite this chapter countless times over the last few days but I've finally got it how I wanted. My original idea was for Reid to have turned down the offer of going to Rossi's and he would have been de-aged on his way home but I couldn't get the idea to work with how I planned the basics of the chapter. So I thought it through again and decided on having Reid coming into the lives of the BAU as a baby from the start. Hopefully that makes everything a little clearer!**

JJ rolled out of bed after the phone next to her had been ringing for a few moments. She sleepily turned off the alarm then made her way out of her room and into where the baby was sleeping.

A prickly panic spread through her body when she saw the crib empty… only to be swept aside when she noticed Emily cradling the boy in her arms as she sat in an armchair in the far corner of the room.

"He started crying a little while ago" Emily explained in a whisper when JJ knelt down beside her. The baby had wrapped his hand round one of Emily's index fingers and was gazing up at the two women with his chocolate brown eyes.

"It's three in the morning" JJ stated in a hushed voice, a small smile playing on her lips as the baby yawned sleepily and snuggled into Emily's side.

Emily didn't reply to this, she just stared down at the baby boy. "What do you think will happen?" She finally asked. "You don't think Hotch will get someone to take him away, do you?"

JJ smiled softly and rubbed Emily's arm. "I'll talk to Hotch" She said soothingly. "He'll have to talk to social services but I know how to work round the paperwork… There's no way I'm letting this little guy go" She whispered and waggled a finger in front of the cooing baby.

"But why would someone leave him at Rossi's door?" Emily questioned after a few moments of quiet.

"Who knows" JJ murmured as she stroked the baby's cheek. "They probably heard of him as an author, found out he was part of the FBI and thought he'd be best" She suggested while the boy slowly closed his eyes. "Rossi has a lot going for him if you're looking to give your child away. He's rich, has a nice house, no children, good morals and a well paying job. Whoever left the baby probably thought they'd hit the jackpot"

"They were right in that aspect" Emily muttered as she slowly stood up and laid the now sleeping baby in his crib. "He's gonna have one heck of a life living with all of us as parents"

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Morgan brushed a few strands of Garcia's hair out of her face and gently rubbed her arm. "Penelope, it's time to wake up" He whispered softly.

"I'm tired" Garcia whined and turned away from her wakeup call which made Morgan chuckle.

"Come on, babygirl. There's a little boy waiting in the living room for you" He tried again and rubbed her back to wake her up.

Garcia's eyes flew open and in the next few seconds she'd jumped out of the bed and was racing out of the room to see the baby with Morgan close behind. Emily and Rossi chuckled as the duo rushed into the room and searched for the missing baby.

"Over there" Rossi whispered and pointed to JJ who was settled down on one of the sofas with the baby in her lap and a bottle in her spare hand.

Morgan and Garcia let out twin breaths of relief then found a seat and enjoyed the few minutes of quiet before Hotch entered from the kitchen.

"JJ and I spoke earlier this morning" The team leader began once everyone was settled and the baby boy had finished his breakfast. "And we've agreed that we don't want him put into the social care system… But we do need to inform social services on what is happening"

Hotch waited for murmurs of agreement to spread through the group before continuing.

"I can't call social services for another hour and he'll be staying here for quite some time so we're going to need some supplies. I managed to find some baby formula in a store nearby for this morning but we'll need some more. We also need a crib, car seat, stroller-"

"Maybe we should start a list" Garcia suggested as she searched for a pen and paper.

"No need" Rossi stated after a small yawn. "Hotch and I were up half the night making one" He added before dropping a piece of paper on the coffee table.

Morgan was first to pick it up and raised his eyebrows at the length of it. "There's more stuff here than in my entire apartment" He muttered before passing the list round.

Rossi half smiled at that comment then sat forward in his seat. "We need two people to do the shopping"

"Emily and I can do that" Morgan volunteered after the group had glanced round the room.

"Hotch and JJ are going to be sorting things out with social services" Rossi stated. "So, that leaves Garcia and I to look after the baby" He added while ticking the list of things to do off his fingers.

"If that's everything, Em and I are gonna head out. We'll be lucky to get back for dinner with a list this long" Morgan joked as he made his way to the door.

"Wait!" Garcia called which stopped everyone in their tracks. "What about his name?" She asked then rolled her eyes at their dumbfounded looks. "We can't just call him 'the baby' forever, you know"

"Right" Morgan mumbled and sat back down with the team. "Was there anything in the letter about a name for him?"

"All it said was all the responsibility lies on us now" JJ explained. "I guess that counts naming him too" She added with a shrug.

"Any suggestions, then?" Rossi asked when everyone remained quiet.

After a few more moments of silence Hotch sighed and stood up. "Everyone can make lists of names and we'll review them tonight. Until then, we all know where we're supposed to be"

The group shared nods then stood. JJ passed the baby boy to Garcia who smiled happily and took him to the corner with Rossi, Morgan and Emily made for the door and the final two members of the team, Hotch and JJ, made their way to the kitchen.

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Emily scribbled down the security code of a stroller then ticked the equipment off her list and pushed the shopping cart further up the aisle. Morgan joined her side a few moments later as he placed an extra large pack of diapers in the cart. "How much left?" The man questioned while setting off down the aisle when something caught his eye.

"I think we'll be back for a late lunch" Emily called with a small smile after counting the remaining items to search for. "We still need the crib" She added when the man returned and dropped a toffee brown comfort blanket with a small bear attached into the cart.

"Anything else?" Morgan asked as he glanced down the aisle for the wanted furniture.

"A baby bath, lotion and a bottle steriliser" Emily read off then began pushing the cart forward. Morgan nodded and set off down the bathing section while Emily turned down the feeding aisle.

Thirty minutes later Morgan was typing in the numbers to his credit card and Emily was packing the smaller items like clothing and diapers into grocery bags. Once the amount of money was paid Morgan took back his card and pushed the large cart out of the store and to the car.

"That wasn't too bad" Emily said in an attempt to cheer up the noticeably put out man as she dropped the grocery bags into the back seat.

"Not too bad?" Morgan repeated with a look of horror. "$550 isn't too bad?"

"Oh, cheer up" Emily said while trying to hide an amused grin. "You've got yourself a little brother now, what more could you want?"

**As I said earlier, this chapter has been more than a little difficult to write. I'm happy with the results now but I definitely struggled in the beginning. I haven't really worked out how the ages of the team will fit in as some of the younger people like JJ wouldn't be adults at the time Reid was a baby so I guess I'll have to relax the strict age progression a little for the adults. I think Morgan will be a bit apprehensive of Reid at first but will warm to him soon. Any ideas for who will come up with the name for the baby? Please review if you've got time!**


	3. the baby's name

"Who's the cutest little pumpkin in the whole veggy patch?" Garcia said in a babbling voice as she tickled the young baby's stomach. The boy's mouth stretched into an 'O' shape and his eyes glistened up at the colourful woman. "Can you clap for me, buddy?" She asked while gently moving his hands back and forth before she blew a raspberry into his stomach.

"You're gonna make him a right softy, you know that?" Rossi stated with the smallest smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

Garcia dramatically gasped then picked up the baby, stood and began bouncing him. "Did you hear that, little guy? He thinks you're gonna be a softy!"

"I'd rather a softy than a 200lb footballer stomping mud all round this house in a few years" Rossi muttered to himself before taking a sip of coffee and standing up. "Hand the baby over and no one gets hurt"

"Meanie" Garcia mumbled after passing the little boy over to Rossi and sitting back down on the sofa. "So, have you thought of any names yet?" She asked once the man had settled back down on the chair with the boy in his lap.

"With the amount of serial killers I've studied, it's practically impossible to think of a name for him without associating it with that" Rossi explained while smoothing out the baby's hair and running a finger over his soft cheek. "We'll find a name for you, won't we big guy?" He whispered softly and planted a gentle kiss on his head.

Garcia was going to comment on how cute that act of parenting had been but was disrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

"I'm gonna need some help here!" Morgan's call echoed through the house and spread a smile on all of the occupants. Rossi reluctantly handed the baby back over to Garcia then traipsed down the hall to where Morgan was waiting.

A few moments later Emily joined Garcia in the living room and reached her hands out for the baby. "I'm getting baby withdrawal, Pen" She warned when the blonde hadn't made a move to hand the little boy over.

Once the baby was resting safely in Emily's arms she smiled down at the boy and offered a finger for him to wrap his hand round which he quickly took. "It sucks being away from him, right?" Garcia said when Emily was in a chair and gazing down at the infant.

"It felt like I'd been gone forever" The raven haired woman admitted while absentmindedly stroking the baby's cheek.

"I think everyone's been feeling like that…" Garcia stated to reassure her friend. "Hotch and JJ came in to check on him whenever they could"

"Have you heard how it's going with the social workers?" Emily asked after a short pause.

Garcia shook her head and put on a positive but hesitant smile. "No news is good news, right?"

"Don't worry about us" Morgan muttered as he heaved a box containing the crib through the living room.

Both women grinned at each other and didn't stop until the men had finished dragging all the furniture into the living. Rossi and Morgan set to work on the crib while Garcia began preparing the much needed moses basket.

Two hours later Morgan and Rossi stood up to heave the crib, and other built furniture, into its destined room and Emily was trying out the new changing unit by removing the boy's grubby bodysuit and replacing it with a fresh diaper, clean white bodysuit, pants and a long sleeved stripy blue top.

Garcia took the baby once he was clothed and gently placed him in the newly finished moses basket with pride then sat back down on the sofa. "Babies are so much work" She sighed and relaxed into the soft fabric of her chair.

"Think of it this way" Emily said as she sat down on the chair closest to the baby's basket. "One day down, a million more to go"

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"The baby's room is ready and the monitors are up and running" Morgan stated as he and Garcia made their way into the living room where the other four team members were sitting.

"The baby's had his dinner and is taking a nap in the crib" Emily added after taking a sip of sweet tea.

"How'd it go with social services?" Garcia asked while settling down next to Morgan on one of the sofas.

"They're not exactly ecstatic about the situation but they've agreed to give us a week to get things together before they come for a home visit" JJ explained.

"So once we've got him a name that'll be everything done, right?" Garcia asked hopefully.

"Got it in one, babygirl" Morgan said with a grin.

Hotch paused for a moment then let himself relax in the chair. "Does anyone have any suggestions?" He asked.

There was a long pause as everyone thought through the names they'd prepared. "I was thinking Theodore would be pretty cute" Garcia eventually said.

Rossi and Hotch winced at the name and Emily was the first to realise why. "It's a nice name but-" Rossi began but was cut off.

"But there just happens to be a serial killer with the same name, right?" Garcia suggested then sighed when she got a nod. "Which one this time?"

"Ted Bundy" Emily answered for the men. "His full name was Theodore"

Garcia sighed slightly but she wasn't too disappointed, she'd expected at least half her names to be turned down because of the murder connection.

"What about David?" JJ suggested.

"David Berkowitz" Hotch said which shot that idea down.

"Dennis" Garcia said in a questioning voice as she eyed the older men for approval.

"Dennis Radar, the BTK killer" Rossi stated softly.

Ten minutes later and everyone seemed much less hopeful than before. Every name that had been suggested had been blacklisted; even Garcia had to knock off Charles because of the implications with Manson.

The sound in the room suddenly died down after the most recent name, thought up by Morgan, had been turned down.

Like a light bulb going off in her head, Garcia knew the perfect name. There was no way they'd find something wrong with this one, she told herself with a smile creeping onto her lips.

"What do you guys think of Spencer?" She asked while trying to hide the smile.

Rossi turned the name over in his head, mentally going through using it for all the situations life would throw at them. He knew he liked it from the offset but by time he reached saying it at the baby's high school graduation he knew he loved it which made him smile widely.

Hotch seemed to be going through the same process and a few seconds later they were both smiling. "It sounds great to me" The team leader complimented.

"Agreed" JJ added.

"I'm with Garcia on this one, Spencer is definitely the best name we've come up with" Morgan piped up.

"Spencer it is then" Rossi murmured as he stood. "Now, everyone off to bed. It's been a long day and you're all going to be exhausted by the morning if you stay up much longer"

Without much protest the three women and Morgan mumbled goodnights then left for their warm beds.

"Night, Aaron" Rossi said after a few moments of quiet before leaving the room. He chuckled to himself as he heard Garcia ordering Morgan to clean up his half of the room before he went to bed as he passed their room then continued to the furthest away room. He slowly eased open the door and smiled softly.

"Hey, Spencer" He whispered to the sleeping baby as he smoothed out his chestnut hair and stroked his cheek. "You sleep tight, buddy"

**I wrote these last three chapters all in the same day while I was inspired so I thought it would be best to post them all reasonably close together. The next update might be a little longer than before but I'll try to get it up as quickly as I can. In the next couple of chapters I'll be tackling some of the general care for Spencer which means you'll get to see all the team getting a chance to care for him although I can guarantee that some will be a little more excited than others. Please review if you've got time!**


	4. Morgan's chance

Morgan's eyes slowly peeled open as a noisy alarm rang off next to him. He hit snooze, rolled onto his side and slowly closed his eyes to continue to his sleep. A few moments later a shrill cry split the air like a knife and Morgan knew he wouldn't get back to sleep so he slowly crawled off the sofa and into the living room.

Rossi strolled in from the kitchen a few moments while carrying a tray loaded with cups. He placed it on the coffee table then handed out cups to Morgan, JJ, Garcia, and Hotch before taking his own and sitting down in his armchair.

Emily patiently waited for Spencer to guzzle down his last bit of formula before placing his bottle on the table then began rubbing his back.

"What's with the early wakeup call?" Morgan asked after swallowing a yawn.

"You got off lightly" Garcia mumbled and rubbed the sleep from her eyes while being mindful of the makeup. "Everyone else was up at six"

Morgan raised an eyebrow then laid his head on the back of the sofa. "What've we got planned for today, then?"

"Rossi and I are going to stop by the office and pick up any paperwork that needs finishing before our leave" Emily explained while wiping Spencer's regurgitated breakfast of his chin with a wince, things couldn't get much more unglamorous.

"And Hotch and I are going to the social care offices to sign the forms for the team to become Spencer's legal guardians" JJ added then took a sip of her sweet tea.

"I guess that leaves you and me, babygirl" Morgan said with a wide smile.

"Afraid not, my dove" Garcia said sweetly as she stood, took Spencer from Emily and laid him in the moses basket. "I'm gonna be busy most the day with picking up everybody's stuff from their apartments seeing as no one is planning on going back soon"

"Oh, that reminds me. I'm getting the second floor dining room cleared out so Hotch and Morgan can get off the sofas" Rossi said before taking the last gulp of his coffee and placing the cup back on the tray.

"So, it's just me looking after Spencer?" Morgan asked with a tone of nerves slipping through his voice.

"You'll do fine" JJ assured him as the group finished they're drinks. The blonde picked up Spencer from his basket then carried him to the door as she followed the group. "Just feed him every three hours and change the diapers when he wets them. We'll call at twelve to make sure everything is alright and Garcia won't be far away" She added before handing over the squirming baby.

Morgan watched his team leave then glanced down at the little boy who let out a sudden cry. "Shh, Spencer" Morgan softly hushed while rubbing his back like he'd seen the others do. He carried the baby back to the living room, sat down and stared down at the wailing boy.

For a moment he thought about ringing Garcia but realised she probably had only just gotten into her car and if he called now they'd use it against him forever. No, he'd just have to cope on his own for a few hours.

"What's this, Spencer? You see that?" He asked while waving a shiny butterfly toy in front of him. Instead of Spencer reaching for the toy like most children would his age, he continued his screaming, his face turning redder as every second passed. "Come on, Spence" Morgan begged after dropping the toy and shifting the baby's position on his lap.

Morgan racked his brain for ideas; there must be something that could help him with this. 'Maybe Spencer just doesn't like me' was a thought that popped up often but he forced it down, babies couldn't already have a preference for people yet, right?

Suddenly something snagged in his mind from when he was younger. Morgan had never been a child that got scared often but suffered a bout of night terrors when he was seven that left him terrified of bed time. The only thing that could ever get him to sleep was his father creating a bedtime story for him.

"Alright, Spencer" he murmured while adjusting his hold on the baby so he was lying on his back. "There was once a man who lived far far away on a planet called… Charte" Morgan began his story, pausing slightly as he mapped out the idea. "This man was very smart but being clever didn't matter to the people who lived on Charte. Chartians only cared about being strong. They were _always_ at war with another planet and were the most hated race in the whole galaxy"

Morgan smiled to himself as Spencer's crying tapered out, his teary brown eyes slowly drying as he gazed up at the story teller. "The man was called Vahony and he was the outcast of Charte. One day, a war broke out between the people of Charte. Some of them wanted to go to war with the Mesanites and some wanted to go to war with the Croyds. Within the next few days the whole of Charte was fighting. No one was safe… except for Vahony. Vahony had spent months working on his latest invention: a rocket ship! He boarded his ship and flew across the galaxy in search of a solution for his race"

The tears had dried off of Spencer's cheeks, his face had gone back to a soft pink color and his breathing had steadied out since Morgan had begun his story. When Morgan softly ran a finger over the baby's cheek he wrapped his hand tightly round it and wouldn't let go.

"Vahony searched the galaxy for month after month but found no cure. He was flying his rocket back to Charte when he crash landed on a planet called Trone! He'd never seen anything like this planet before! The grass was purple, the sky was orange and fish swam in the air! The people that lived on Trone were strange too… because they were just like him! They told Vahony that they could help him! They fixed Vahony's rocket then told him that they knew of a planet similar to Charte. Vahony thanked the people then flew back to Charte, gathered all the Chartians and flew them to the planet he had been told of"

"When the Chartians left the rocket they started fighting with the planet's people! Vahony realised this was the perfect place for them! The Chartians fought happily with their alien neighbours and never made war with another planet again! Vahony went back to Trone and was made a hero for making peace in the galaxy! He and the Tronites made lots more rockets so everyone could travel the galaxy and they all lived happily ever after"

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Garcia listened at the front door for any sounds of crying for a few moments before unlocking and opening the entrance. "It's just me" She called while carrying two suitcases through the corridor and dumping them in the living room. "How'd it go with Spencer?" She asked after dropping onto the sofa.

"He missed you guys a lot at first" Morgan answered honestly before taking a sip of the coffee he'd just prepared.

Garcia glanced over to the basket where the baby was peacefully resting and smiled. "How did you calm him down?"

"I told him a story and after that he was fine… I had to wake him up during a nap so he could eat but he went back to sleep straight after" Morgan explained.

"What story did you tell him?" Garcia asked with an impressed look.

"I made one up" He stated nonchalantly while standing.

Garcia smiled to herself at how well Morgan's bonding session had gone then tossed her car keys at him. "There're a couple more bags in the car that need bringing inside"

"Why do I have to do it?" Morgan whined.

"Because I've been playing baggage collector all day and I'm tired… Now scoot" Garcia instructed. Morgan waited a few moments then sighed and made his way to the car. "Hey, buddy" She murmured while picking up Spencer. The little boy stirred in his sleep then snuggled into the woman's warm side and his eyes fluttered shut again. "Were you a good boy for Morgan?" She asked while softly kissing his forehead. "You're gonna want to be nice to him, you know. Because he's gonna be your big brother and you're gonna need him a lot when you get older"

**So Morgan has gotten over his nerves of looking after Spencer and it looks like they might have even bonded a little. I've been trying to get all the team involved with Spencer but it's inevitable that some haven't had as much time as the others so if you have a request for certain people to spend more or less time with Spencer then don't hesitate to ask. Also, please ask if you'd like to hear more of Morgan's stories. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review if you've got time!**


	5. an early morning and a song

The sound of static slowly drew Hotch out of his slumber. The fog inside his head took a few moments to clear before he realised it must be the baby monitor. He fumbled for the monitor then sighed and made his way out of the living room, upstairs and into the baby's bedroom.

"Hey, JJ" He mumbled when he saw the blonde woman cradling the wailing baby in her arms. The baby paused a moment to notice the new arrival before letting out an even louder cry. "Pass him here, you should get some rest"

"Are you sure?" She asked while reluctantly handing over the infant. "He won't be going back to sleep for a while now" She added as a warning.

Hotch nodded and smiled to reassure the woman. "I've managed to duck out of looking after him for long enough" He stated while picking up the baby's comfort blanket. "Besides, if he stays up here he'll wake the whole house up" He added in a reasonable voice before carrying Spencer out of the room, down the stairs and to the living room.

JJ listened to the sound of wailing slowly drift away before sighing, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and walking back to her room.

Hotch settled onto the sofa nearest the moses basket then readjusted his hold on Spencer so he could see the baby's red face. He gently brushed the tears from his cheeks and smoothed out the few strands of hair. Spencer stared up at the strange act of kindness with teary brown eyes.

"What was all that noise about, huh?" Hotch asked in a voice almost as quiet as a whisper. A small smile crept onto the man's lips as the baby slightly scrunched his forehead and his tongue rolled round his mouth. Hotch couldn't help but expect a word to slip out of the young baby's mouth. Of course, he was months too young to be talking but there's something in the baby's expression that told him he was thinking of what to say.

"I'll tell you what" The team leader murmured while he slightly sat the infant up so he could get a better view of the room he was now in. "When you get a little older you're gonna learn all these new words. And I want you to use them, alright? This is your home, Spencer. You can say whatever you want here. Don't ever feel like you can't say something" He whispered to the baby before planting a soft kiss on his head. "You use your words and we'll teach you as many as you like, alright?"

Spencer let out a soft gurgle which Hotch took as agreement before he gently laid the boy in his basket. "I'm gonna go get you some milk" He explained to the baby even though he was sure he wouldn't be able to understand him. "But I'll be back in a few minutes, ok? No crying till then" He added softly before palming the infant's cheek then left to prepare the drink.

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"Rise and shine, Emily" Garcia chirped in a strangely cheerfully mood. The raven haired woman let out a groan as she slowly sat up in bed and stared up at the two women with bleary eyes.

"You realize we're awake before 8am. Again" She reminded them while swinging her legs out of bed and making for her suitcase on the other side of the room.

Garcia and JJ swapped grins as the woman fumbled through her clothes for something to wear. "We thought you'd like to know we have a day off from babysitting" JJ said as she moved back to the mirror to finish applying her makeup.

"How come?" Emily questioned while gathering her clothes and moving to the bathroom for a shower.

"Hotch and Rossi said we needed to get some proper rest after the last couple days we've had" JJ answered through the door. "They're sending the four youngest back home for the day to catch up on some sleep while they look after Spencer"

The conversation paused for fifteen minutes as Emily showered and clothed herself before walking back into the room with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth and a doubtful look on her face. "Why do I have the feeling 'catching up on some sleep' means being dragged through every mall for the whole day?"

"What would give you that impression?" JJ asked while stifling a laugh and trying to look as innocent as she could.

"You wouldn't put makeup on if you were going straight back to your apartment" Emily pointed out before spitting out the suds of toothpaste and rinsing her mouth. "Besides, I can't imagine Pen napping on our first day of freedom" She added which made both women smirk.

"Alright, you caught us… But don't tell anyone" Garcia warned as she took one last look in the mirror. "I doubt Hotch will let us off babysitting duties to go shopping and Spencer is in desperate need of some toys"

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Rossi dumped the soiled diaper in the changing unit's trash can; secured a clean one on Spencer then put the baby's clothes back on and picked him up. "See, you're all clean now" He stated in a soft voice in an attempt to stop the crying. Spencer paused for a moment to stare up at Rossi before letting out another cry and began waving his arms around.

The senior profiler sighed and sat back down on the sofa. "What's wrong, Spence?" He questioned even though he wouldn't get an answer. He'd fed Spencer, changed his diaper and checked his temperature half a dozen times in the last hour but nothing seemed to stop his crying.

"What about a song?" Rossi asked while sitting the baby up slightly. He searched his brains for one of the simpler nursery rhymes that were sung to him as a child for a few minutes before he settled on one. "Piccola stella raccoglitori, trovare una nova. Piccolo viaggiatore luna, me una stella di cattura. Piccola stella raccoglitori, riposare la testa. buonanotte buonanotte, chiudere gli occhi. buonanotte buonanotte" Rossi softly sung and smoothed the baby's hair out.

Spencer's eyes slowly drifted shut, one of his hands resting on his cheek and the other lying by his side. Rossi slowly stood, placed the baby in the basket and softly kissed his forehead. "Sleep tight, Spencer"

**I tried to get Hotch and Rossi more involved in this chapter so hopefully you liked their bonding sessions. Next chapter you'll get to see what Morgan and the girls bought for Spencer. I've been trying to find things that each member of the team has to comfort Spencer, it's been a bit of a struggle but hopefully you've liked them. The song Rossi sung to Spencer was written by a friend of mine who speaks a little bit of Italian, it might not be perfect but I'm so grateful to her for doing it for me. If there are still any characters you'd like to spend more time with Spencer then just ask! Please review if you've got time!**


	6. gift giving and a meeting

Rossi placed Spencer in a sitting position on his lap as the four youngest profilers carried their bags stuffed with toys into the living room. Morgan knelt down in front of the baby and presented a wooden rocket ship that had been painted red with three white prongs to keep it standing.

"What's that?" Garcia asked while she, JJ and Emily sat down either side of the man.

"It's Vahony's rocket ship" Morgan stated as if this was something everybody knew. "Now Spencer can help Vahony find the Tronites" He added while flying the rocket ship around the baby who followed it with his chocolate brown eyes.

"Alright, we need to speed it up so Spencer can have his feed and get to bed" Hotch reminded the group after he saw the baby let out a tiny yawn.

The gift givers nodded diligently before JJ scooted forward, fished a hand inside her bag and pulled out an electronic book. Spencer's eyes fixed on the bright colors and reached a hand out for the object.

"Isn't that a little old for him?" Rossi asked while gently guiding Spencer's hand back to his side.

"It said three months plus so it won't be long till he can use" JJ explained while placing the toy to the side.

Garcia moved forward slightly and pulled out a large box with a photo splashed on the front. "You see that, Spence?" The woman asked while pointing to the picture. "That's your play mat! Look at all those cool toys around the top!" She added while pointing at parts of the toy.

Spencer's forehead creased as he leant forward before being pulled back up into a sitting position. Rossi felt the baby's body tense as he prepared to let out a cry so smoothed out his hair and laid a soft kiss on the top of his head to calm him.

The women quickly finished presenting their toys then scooped them aside to be taken to their suited rooms. Rossi slowly stood and handed the squirming baby to Emily.

Hotch passed a bottle of formula to the woman then joined the others who were sorting out where each toy would be going in the house. Emily adjusted her hold on the baby before carrying him upstairs and settling onto the armchair.

Spencer slowly but surely finished his milk then gazed up at the woman for a few moments. "I missed you today" She admitted in a soft voice as she offered a finger to the baby who wrapped his hand round it. "I couldn't wait to get back here and make sure you were okay… Hotch and Rossi definitely weren't expecting all the stuff we bought you" She added as the infant's eyes slowly closed.

Emily continued to tell Spencer everything that had happened that day until his grip lessened on her finger and he fell into a deep sleep. She carefully placed him in his crib, tucked him in and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "See you in the morning, Spence" She whispered before flicking the over head light off and leaving.

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JJ carefully picked the sleeping baby up from his crib, grabbed his comfort blanket and carried him through the silent house into the living room. She deposited the still sleeping boy into his moses basket then collected the milk she'd made a few minutes previously from the kitchen and gathered the clothes Spencer would need for the day.

"Morning" Morgan mumbled as he stepped into the living room and found a seat on one of the sofas.

"How was your first night on a bed?" JJ asked as she carried Spencer to the opposite sofa and softly rubbed his stomach to pull him out of his slumber.

"Hotch snores" Morgan stated with a wry smile as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I'm gonna see if he wants to swap beds with Garcia. He deserves his space, anyway"

JJ smirked then glanced down to the infant and offered him the bottle.

Fifteen minutes later Rossi wandered through the room and into the kitchen in a tired haze as he began preparing coffee. A few moments after Spencer had finished his breakfast Hotch entered wearing black slacks and a blue shirt with his sleeves slightly rolled up which was strangely casual for the team's formal boss.

After his feed Spencer drifted back into sleep. JJ waited a few minutes for him to slip into a deeper slumber before carrying him to the changing unit to be dressed for the day.

"Today's the day, then?" Morgan asked after checking the date on his cell phone, in the rush of the last few days he'd forgotten social services were planning a home visit.

Hotch confirmed the question by nodding as he busied himself with folding the spare clothes and blankets that lay around the room.

By time Rossi carried a tray supporting six coffee cups into the living room all the agents had gathered inside at varying levels of awake. He handed out the caffeine filled drinks to the pajama clad younger adults before passing one to Hotch and settling down on one of the few free seats with his.

"What time are they getting here?" Morgan asked after taking a sip of his hot drink.

Hotch glanced up to the clock hanging along one of the walls then stated "They should be here in fifty minutes"

Rossi quickly finished his coffee then placed it back on the tray. "Alright, we haven't got long so we've got to be as efficient as possible" He said while sitting back in his chair, his statement gaining the group's attention.

"Hotch and I will need some time to finish off the paperwork before they get here" JJ stated before finishing her drink.

Rossi nodded then thought for a few moments. "It's going to be a long day so we'll all need breakfast" He said in a no nonsense way that no one dared to challenge. "Garcia and I can make everyone's food together to save time"

"I can clean up if Morgan looks after Spencer" Emily offered after eying the carpet that was in desperate need of vacuuming and the large pile of toys that had been sorted yet.

"I'm fine with looking after pretty boy" Morgan said with a smirk as he grabbed the rocket ship off the coffee table and picked up Spencer from his crib.

Ten minutes later Morgan had settled in Spencer's room, Emily was vacuuming, Hotch and JJ were finishing the paperwork in the dining room and Rossi and Garcia were preparing breakfast.

"You see that, Spence?" Morgan asked while flying the red rocket ship around the baby's face.

"Ahh!" Spencer shrieked with a grin on his small face before the rocket dipped and flew close to his face which made him babble more.

Morgan tilted his head slightly as the boy seemed to intently mumble sounds to himself while leaning forward to touch the rocket that was resting in the man's lap. "You're a clever little guy, aren't you?" Morgan murmured while placing the rocket on the floor and pulling the baby on his lap. "Apparently babies aren't mean to talk until they're a year old" He said to himself while smoothing out the baby's hair and softly kissing his forehead. "But I think you'll be miles ahead of other kids"

The sound of the vacuuming cleaner clicking off met Morgan's ears a couple of minutes later. Emily joined him a few moments after that as she carried a box containing a mobile for the crib as well as a brown bear that towered Spencer to the bedroom. She dropped the bear in the corner, placed the box on the dresser then bent down to greet the little boy.

"Em! Morgan!" Garcia called up the stairs a few moments later which drew their attention to the door. "Breakfast's ready!" She added before moving back to the kitchen.

Morgan handed Spencer to Emily before getting to his feet and following the pair downstairs and into the living room. Emily slid Spencer onto his play mat then took the plate of toast handed to her as Morgan walked in with a large bowl of cereal.

"No eating in the living room" Rossi reminded them as he strolled in and toward Spencer.

"We're keeping an eye on Spence" Emily stated after taking a bite of toast.

"I'll watch him" The eldest agent stated while shooing the duo into the kitchen. "You need to eat"

Emily and Morgan sat at the small kitchen island to finish their breakfast while Garcia busied herself with preparing Hotch and JJ's porridge.

Thirty minutes later everyone had been fed and had gathered back in the living room in fresh clothes. They sat in silence except for Spencer occasionally gurgling as he sat on JJ's lap.

A door bell ringing disrupted their thoughts. All agents quickly got to their feet with nervous expressions frozen on their faces. JJ carefully handed Spencer to Rossi before following Hotch to the door.

Morgan, Rossi, Emily and Garcia stood shoulder to shoulder as they heard the social workers being greeted and led down the corridor toward the group. Rossi subconsciously smoothed out Spencer's hair before whispering "Let's hope this goes to plan"

**I'm trying to keep up with all your reviews and get as many of the characters involved as possible but it's getting quite difficult seeing as there's six people and only one baby! If there are still characters that either haven't had enough time with Spencer in the last chapter or so please don't hesitate to ask but bear in mind it might take a chapter or two to get the character(s) involved. If anyone has any suspicions on how the meeting with social services will go I'd love to hear them! Also, at what speed would you like Spencer to grow up? I'm planning on writing him from a baby to a young adult but I'm still unsure on how fast he should age. It's taken me this long just to age him a week! If you'd like things to go a little faster just ask. Please review if you've got time!**


	7. a late night phone call

Rossi had to adjust his hold on Spencer as the baby strained to get a glimpse of the new arrivals. "This is David, Derek, Penelope, Emily and Spencer" JJ introduced in a voice touched with nerves.

"I'm Kate and this is Harry" The female social worker stated calmly as she took a seat next to her co-worker. "We'll be Spencer's support workers until our services are no longer needed" She explained as the agents found their seats and Rossi handed Spencer's comfort blanket to the infant.

"We'll be helping with any paperwork and adjustments needed through the adoption process" Harry added in a friendly, almost casual, tone with a simple smile playing on his lips.

"How long will it take before we have custody of Spencer?" Emily questioned.

"It'll take a little longer than most cases because of the unusual circumstances" Kate stated. "But we'll hopefully have it sorted within the month. The adoption process will take quite a bit longer though. You'll need to wait six months before we can confirm he is an abandoned child. After that we'll push through with the adoption which should be confirmed within a six month period"

"We'll also need to know which two will be filing for parental custody" Harry added brightly which seemed to stun the group. "It's almost unheard of to have joint custody involving more than two people. You could try to file for you all to be involved but it'll almost certainly take even longer for it to be confirmed"

"We'll have to discuss our choices before making a decision" Hotch stated after a few moments of quiet.

"Would you like to see around the house?" JJ asked.

"That sounds great" Harry said with a smile as he stood and followed the group with Kate by his side.

"This is Spencer's room" JJ stated as she led the group inside, the infant letting out a gurgling sound and pushed forward to grab the electronic book placed on the dresser.

"You've got everything set up for him already, I see" Harry said while glancing round the room filled with furniture and toys.

"We wanted to make things as normal as we could for him" Rossi explained as he handed the struggling baby to Emily. "The girls love spoiling him so it's a win-win situation" He added with a small smile.

As the tour came to an end fifteen minutes later Kate closed the notepad she'd been writing in and both social workers looked pleased. "There's no reason Spencer can't stay here" Kate said with a smile as they were lead back into the living room and offered her hand to shake.

"Do you have any questions before we go?" Harry asked as he sat back down and began gathering his diary and notepad to put in his briefcase.

Hotch glanced down the line of his team then looked back at the social workers. "We all work for the FBI, as you know. Most of us will be away for long periods of time while we're on cases… Would that affect our chances of adopting Spencer?"

"We have a surprisingly large amount of applicants who have jobs in law enforcement these days" Kate stated warmly. "As long as you can arrange for someone to be with Spencer while you're on cases, your jobs won't affect the application"

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"Erin, I understand but-" Rossi began but was cut off yet again. He pinched the bridge of his nose as the woman rushed to explain the situation. "Send one of the other teams!" He shot back down the phone line as he became more exasperated. "What do you mean they're busy?"

Spencer let out a cry from lack of attention so Emily stood and began bouncing him as the other agents exchanged worried looks.

"Alright" Rossi finally sighed after a few moments. "Get the jet ready, we'll go straight there"

"What are we gonna do with Spencer?" Garcia asked as she was handed the squirming baby.

"You'll have to take him in with you to the office" Rossi answered while stuffing the infant's belongings into a duffel bag.

"I don't have anything to put him in while I'm there" Garcia reminded the group as they hurried from one room to the other, collecting their go bags and slipping on coats.

"Put the moses basket in Garcia's car" Hotch instructed Morgan. "JJ and Emily, load the go bags into the team cars" He added before the women picked up the pile of bags and carried them out of the house.

"When you get to the office call Anderson and ask him to carry the basket inside for you" Rossi said as he and Garcia made their way down to the cars with Morgan and Hotch just behind them.

Garcia quickly buckled Spencer into his car seat then turned to the team who were filing into two SUVs. "Call me once you're on the jet" She instructed before sliding into the driver's seat and speeding off to the BAU office.

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"How long till you land?" Garcia asked in a whisper as a sleeping Spencer rested in her arms.

"Thirty minutes" Emily answered after checking the time. "Is he asleep yet?" She questioned while swallowing a yawn.

"Uh huh" Garcia murmured as she slowly stood and laid the infant in his basket that had been deliberately pointed away from the screens. "This is gonna be a long one, right?" She asked after bringing up the images of the latest bloody murder.

"We'll be back in no time" Morgan stated when everyone remained quiet. "Besides, you get some more time with pretty boy" He added in an attempt to cheer up the solemn group.

"Let's get back to the case" Hotch finally said after a long silence. "JJ and Prentiss are going to go straight to Memphis PD to talk to the victims' families. Morgan and Rossi can check out the latest crime scene and I'll go to the morgue"

"I've already started cross matching the victims to see if there's any overlap but there's no links yet" Garcia explained while searching through the lists.

"Spencer'll need his feed soon" JJ stated softly as she sat forward in her chair.

Garcia slowly stood and began rooting through the duffel bag of the baby's things. "I'll call you back once he's settled" She said before ending the call and picking up Spencer. "Let's get you some milk, little guy"

**This chapter took a lot longer than I wanted it to. I lost inspiration half way through and couldn't seem to get it back until today. Anyway, I finally pushed myself to finish it and put it up so I hope it's not too rough round the edges. Please review if you've got time.**


	8. Spencer at the office

"Please stop crying" Garcia whispered onto the top of Spencer's head. His face had turned blotchy red toward the start of his crying fit and nothing had distracted him since then.

"What's all the commotion?" A man, who Garcia took a few moments to recognise as Anderson, asked after poking his head round the door.

The tech queen jumped up from her seat, placed the infant in his basket then grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling something down. "I need you to go to Rossi's house and pick up some stuff" She stated over the baby's wails.

"You're a noisy little guy, huh?" Anderson asked while stepping inside the room and peering down at the baby. "What do I need to get?"

"A red rocket, his bear and an electronic book. You'll find it all upstairs in the furthest room." She answered while passing the scrap of paper and house keys to the agent. "His comfort blanket will be in the living room"

"Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can" He stated, his eyes searching the list while slowly turning to leave.

"Oh, and get Kevin up here" Garcia called before turning to her computers. "Spencer, I know you aren't very happy being here but I need you to stop crying so that I can finish this work and our family can catch the bad guy" She soothed while picking up the baby again and bouncing him.

The screams and wails for attention slowly tapered off and the infant's face gradually turned into a soft pink color.

"You miss your family, right?" Garcia whispered while sitting down at her swivel chair and staring down at the baby. "Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. I miss them too. Every time they leave I feel all alone and scared that they won't come back and I bet that's how you're feeling right about now. But you know what, Spence? They always come back"

"Anderson said you wanted to see me" Kevin greeted loudly as he strolled into the room then abruptly stopped at the site of the bundle in Garcia's arms.

"It's a baby, Kevin, not a bomb" Garcia quipped as she stood and moved toward the moses basket. "I need you to take over the case for a few hours"

"How come?" Kevin questioned as he made his way to the swarm of computers and put a hand on the empty chair.

"Because I've had to deal with a screaming baby for the past two hours and if I try to do anything constructive right now I'm going to smash something" Garcia snapped as she pulled the moses basket over to the sofa. "The checks are already set up" She added with a sigh once she was sitting on the chair with Spencer in her arms. "They all have time codes on when to run. The current one should finish in the next few minutes. All I need you to do is collect the results and forward them to the team"

Kevin waited a few moments to see the tech queen had calmed down before sitting down and getting to work.

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"We're on our way back" JJ stated after switching the phone onto loud speaker and placing it on the jet's table.

"How long till you get here?" Garcia questioned as she lay Spencer in his basket, handed him his comfort blanket and sat back at her desk.

"Just over an hour" Morgan answered as he relaxed into his chair. "How's Spencer been?"

"That was the longest week of my life" Garcia simply said while she closed the documents on her computer and began gathering the infant's toys, clothes and bottles.

"That bad, huh?" Rossi murmured.

"Believe me when I say he missed you loads" Garcia stated as she slowly picked up the baby. "But we get to go home now, don't we Spence?"

None of the team could stop the smiles that crept onto their lips as Garcia baby talked Spencer who cooed and gurgled in response.

"Anyway, I better get going" Garcia added as she picked up the infant's duffel bag. "See you at home" She called, waited for the team to say their goodbyes before ending the phone call and leaving her office.

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JJ was first through Rossi's front door and quickly found her way into the living room to scoop up Spencer and hug him tightly. "I missed you so much, Spence" She whispered before softly kissing his forehead.

"You missed me too, right?" Garcia asked with a smirk as she carried a tray holding six cups of coffee in from the kitchen and placed it on the table.

JJ couldn't help but smile as she gently rubbed the baby's back and nodded. "I called Strauss on the jet. We've got three days off as long as we get our paperwork done" She added while passing Spencer to Emily as the rest of the group joined them.

Spencer was passed round the team before being handed back to JJ who carefully placed him in his basket then sat down on the nearest sofa.

"So have you guys talked about what the social workers said?" Garcia asked before taking a sip of her hot drink and sitting back in her chair.

"We haven't discussed it but I think we've all been thinking" Rossi stated. "Personally, I think duel adoption would work best" He added after a few moments of silence.

"That means deciding which two get custody" Emily murmured with an unconvinced look. "And which four don't"

"Even if we do try to all have custody, it's a long shot anyway" JJ chipped in as she ran her finger over one of Spencer's bears. "And it'll slow down the adoption too"

Hotch waited a few moments to gauge the feelings of the group before placing his mug back on the table. "Is anyone against the idea of duel adoption?" He questioned and got five no's as an answer. "Does anyone want to put themselves forward as one of the adoptees?"

A long silence fell over the room as none of the agents wanted to be first to speak. "What about you Rossi?" Morgan finally asked. "Spencer's mom obviously had you in mind when she dropped him on the doorstep"

"Spencer needs more than money and a big house" Rossi stated. "Just because Spencer's mom didn't see it like that doesn't mean that I do"

"We've all seen the way you are around Spencer, Rossi. It's obvious you care about him" Emily said.

"I do care about him but I'm not as young as I used to be" Rossi explained. "I want Spencer to have someone that can still chase after him… I won't be up to doing that all day every day in a few years time"

"You aren't _that_ old, Dave" Morgan joked with a grin.

"But we understand what you mean" Hotch finished before the younger agents would crack any jokes. "Does anyone else want to be excluded from the choice?"

"I'd rather be the kid's big brother than his dad" Morgan admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"I'll have to pull out for this one too" Emily added after a few moments. "I'm not really the 'mom type' that Spence needs"

"I'm out too" Garcia stated. "As much as I love our little g-man, this last week was way too hard on both of us for it to be permanent"

"Looks like we have our answer then" JJ stated as she leant back in her chair. "That is, if you're alright with applying as well" She added while looking at Hotch.

Hotch paused a few moments then stood, made his way over to Spencer's basket and scooped the boy up. "How could I say no to this little face" He murmured while softly stroking the infant's cheek.

The team's faces broke into smiles before they slowly stood and began gathering what they needed to get the baby and themselves ready for bed.

"We'll still be a family, right?" Garcia asked as the group made their way upstairs and along the corridor. "We'll still get to see Spencer and spend time together?"

"Babygirl, there's no getting rid of us" Morgan said with a grin as he wrapped his arm round her shoulder.

"Believe me when I say I've tried" Rossi added with a small smirk. "You're stuck with this lot forever"

**I tried to go with my gut when I was deciding who would get custody of Spencer so I hope you like my choice. The whole team will all still be involved. They probably won't leave Rossi's house until Spencer is much older anyway so there's no need to worry about the family dynamics being broken up. I hope you liked the chapter, please review if you've got time! **


	9. a trip to the mall

Morgan carefully unclipped the straps that held Spencer to his car seat then picked up the infant and closed the car door. JJ, Garcia and Emily had already gotten out of the car and had set off toward the shopping mall in front of them while Hotch parked the other SUV. Rossi was first out of that car and went to the trunk to unfold Spencer's stroller while Hotch killed the engine and grabbed Spencer's bag from the back seat.

Once the men had caught up with the girls who were already in the midst of a conversation they tried to catch the drift off while walking toward the large building. "There's a stall on the other side of the mall where we can get the pumpkins from" JJ stated.

"There's a place that specializes in baby and toddler clothes on the 1st floor. We'll be able to get Spencer's costume from there" Garcia added.

"Why does Spencer need a costume?" Morgan questioned as they entered the busy mall.

"For trick or treating" Emily answered while leading the group inside one of the stores that were selling large boxes of mixed candy. She handed one to JJ then picked up another and carried it to the counter.

"We can't miss out on his first Halloween!" Garcia stated adamantly when Hotch and Rossi didn't look convinced. "It won't cost too much anyway. All we need are some decorations and pumpkins out front, a costume for him and some candy to hang up outside" She explained after paying the cashier $20 and carrying the boxes out of the store.

"If you old ladies aren't up for trick or treating we could always leave you at home to hand out candy" Morgan teased with a smirk which made everyone smile.

"If we want to get back before dark we're going to need to be organised about this" JJ said once the laughter had died down.

"Rossi and I can take the candy back to the cars so it's one less thing to carry round" Hotch offered.

Garcia looked slightly flustered as she glanced round the corridors that were quickly filling up. "Morgan and Emily can pick up the pumpkins and decorations and JJ and I will pick up the costume"

There was a quick exchange of boxes, bags and the baby then the agents went their separate ways. JJ turned to see Morgan and Emily's retreating backs then loudly called "Make sure to get something scary!"

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"That is _gorgeous_!" Garcia squealed while holding up a jack-o'-lantern costume and hat. "We have to have this one" She added while holding it up to Spencer who was impatiently squirming in JJ's arm.

"What about the spiderman costume?" JJ asked while adjusting her hold on the infant just before he fell forward. "You said we had to have that one too"

"No, we definitely need this one" She said then seemed to become unsure. "Or we could get both and see which one the team likes best…"

"Hotch and Rossi weren't even that happy about taking Spence out tonight, they definitely won't be happy with you wasting your money on an extra Halloween costume" JJ warned then switched Spencer from one aching arm to the other.

Garcia seemed to think for a moment longer then placed the spiderman costume on the rack and moved toward the checkout. "There's always next year, I suppose" She stated glumly.

"If you're going to be grumpy then you can hold the baby" JJ said with a smirk before handing over Spencer and paying for the costume and masks. "Emily and Morgan have probably got all the decorations in the time that took, you know" She added after checking the time while carrying the shopping bag out of the busy store.

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"Hurry up, guys! We need to leave in five minutes!" Garcia called up the stairs then walked back into the living room. JJ sat Spencer up in his changing unit wearing his new costume then pulled on his jack-o'-lantern hat. "There's my little sweetie" Garcia babbled while picking up Spencer and handing JJ a pair of cat ears.

"I thought these were for Emily?" JJ questioned while turning over the black cat ears in her hand before moving in front of a mirror.

"She said there was no way she was wearing those but I managed to talk her into wearing the masquerade mask" Garcia explained while bouncing Spencer around the living room.

A few moments later Rossi made his way down the stairs and placed the cowboy hat he'd been given on his head. JJ turned to see the senior profile in her new cat ears then her lips split into a smile.

"That's fantastic!" JJ spluttered while trying to contain her amusement.

"I'm only doing this for Spencer" Rossi mumbled then resigned to leaning himself against one of the walls until Emily had joined him and Hotch's footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

"I'm not wearing this, Garcia" He stated while placing the batman mask on the coffee table and backing away.

"It's for Spencer!" Garcia called while turning to the man who looked much more casual than before he had changed his clothes. "How can you deny that little face?"

"It'll scare him" Hotch answered flatly before letting a wry smile slip onto his lips.

Garcia pulled a pout then looked down to Spencer who looked indifferent and decided to not push the problem. "Fine… but I will get you in a costume eventually"

Rossi smiled at Garcia's statement then pushed himself off the wall and grabbed Spencer's trick or treating bucket. Morgan and Hotch each took a box of the candy and carried them outside for the kids, the women took Spencer outside and Rossi turned the decorations on before joining everyone outside.

"I've got to admit, it looks a lot better than I thought it would" Rossi murmured while looking over the brightly colored lights and Halloween themed hanging decorations. "I haven't celebrated Halloween at all in this house so it'll make the neighbours happy if nothing else" He added after looking across the street where all the houses were also decorated.

"Picture time!" Garcia exclaimed after the talking died down only to receive groans of disapproval. "We have a baby now, guys. We _have _to take pictures" She said while setting up the camera, pressing the timer then gathered the group together tightly. "Don't forget to smile!"

**Sorry for the long delay in an update, the fan in my laptop broke and it took a while longer than I thought it would to be repaired. This chapter is slightly rushed just because I wanted to get it out there as soon as possible but hopefully it isn't too bad. Please review if you've got time, any feedback is helpful!**


	10. halloween night

"Trick or treat!" The group called in unison to the elderly woman who had moments before opened her door.

The woman perused the newcomers for a few seconds then her face split into a smile as she reached for her bowl of candy. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing?" She said in a babbling voice to Spencer while rooting through her collection of sugary treats. "I'm afraid I don't have anything for someone quite so tiny but I'm sure you'd all like some candy" She added while dropping a handful of candies into the bucket.

"Look at that, Spencer!" Garcia dramatically gasped and held up the bucket for the infant to see. "Your first Halloween candy!"

The team couldn't help but smile as Spencer reached out for the brightly colored candies before looking back to the woman and thanking her.

"It's nice to see you all with the baby" The woman stated kindly. "Before now I only occasionally saw you… Anyway, happy Halloween"

"You don't think we look strange, do you?" Emily asked once they'd gotten to the end of the driveway and were making their way to the next house. "Five adults that don't look even remotely related and a baby?"

"We probably pass for a family with most people… Especially now we've got Spencer" JJ answered after a herd of children scrambled past them in a rush for another sugar fix.

"Yeah, you three could be sisters and I'll be the adopted brother" Morgan teased with a smirk.

"And Hotch could be JJ's husband" Emily joined in with a playful smile which made JJ's cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

"What does that make me then?" Rossi asked with mild interest as he adjusted his hold on Spencer who was reaching for every colourful decoration they passed.

"The senile uncle we take on day trips" Hotch answered before anyone else could get a word in.

Rossi smiled wryly as bursts of laughter escaped the younger agents. "Very funny"

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A cold breeze flowed through the house as Rossi pushed open the front door and led the group inside. The youngest agents quickly dropped onto the nearest seats while the senior agent went to the kitchen to make warm drinks and Hotch lay down Spencer on his change mat and took of his warm outdoor clothes.

"We are never going trick or treating again" Emily stated in a tired voice while relaxing into the sofa. Soon the familiar noises of the kettle boiling drifted in from the kitchen mixed with the sound of Rossi softly humming.

"It wasn't that bad" Garcia murmured while pulling her legs onto the sofa and resisting the urge to close her eyes.

"We were out for hours" Morgan said in a groaning voice as he attempted to pull his coat and shoes off with as little movement as possible.

"It'll be a miracle if we don't all catch a cold" JJ added while forcing herself to stand, collect the coats and shoes that were left discarded and put them away.

"Hot drinks always keep away illness" Rossi stated as he strolled into the room with a tray carrying an assortment of mugs with an assortment of hot liquids inside. "Hot chocolate for Morgan and Garcia, tea for JJ and Emily and a hot coffee for Hotch" He added while passing out the drinks then placing the tray on the coffee table and picking up Spencer.

"He looks about ready to drop" Morgan said when he saw the infant yawn and sleepily rest his head on Rossi's shoulder.

The senior agent waited for everyone to finish their drinks before saying "I'm going to take Spencer to bed; I'll see you all in the morning"

**This one is pretty short but I've been snowed under with homework and hospital appointments lately and I really wanted to put something up. Next chapter I'm thinking about tackling thanksgiving but I don't know a great deal about it so if anyone has any tips or general advice on what happens around that time of year I would be SO grateful if you could message me or add it into a review. Thanks for reading and sticking round despite my irregular posting! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review if you've got time!**


	11. the first thanksgiving

"_Ham_?" Garcia abruptly stopped walking down the grocery store aisle to drag out the word with a shocked expression. "It's thanksgiving! We can't have _ham_"

"I don't think ham will be too bad, Pen" JJ said while pushing the shopping cart forward after collecting an item from the nearest shelf. "Not many of the team like turkey that much"

"But Spencer might like turkey" Garcia said in a pleading voice as she trailed behind JJ and Emily.

"Spencer won't be eating solids for at least another three months" Emily reminded the tech queen in a matter-of-fact way in an attempt to stop any more protests.

"But he might like the smell of turkey…" Garcia mumbled before sighing and giving up. "Fine, we'll have ham but next year I want a turkey"

JJ and Emily smirked at each other then nodded and continued down the aisle. "Ham can be nice too" Emily added as they meandered through the meat section in search of their ham.

"That one is perfect!" Garcia came to another abrupt stop in front of the largest ham in the meat section.

"It's a little big, don't you think?" JJ said in an unsure voice as she ran her eyes over the large ham and put it into portion sizes for the team.

"There's no way we'll be able to eat all that" Emily stated after looking the meat up and down from behind the shopping cart.

"Not in one go but we can always have whatever's left for sandwiches or something" Garcia explained excitedly, her mind already running through a daydream of the team sat round the dining room table with the large ham as a centre piece.

JJ and Emily could tell by the way the blonde was talking that she wasn't going to back down on this one. They'd managed to talk her round from buying a turkey which seemed like an accomplishment in itself so bringing back a larger ham than they had expected couldn't be too bad.

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Morgan sat cross-legged on the living room floor with Spencer in his lap staring intently at the electronic book the man was holding. "He sure is smart" Morgan murmured as he turned the page of the book and Spencer quickly reached forward to place his hand on the picture he was presented with.

"All babies like books" Rossi stated as he pulled a wad of diapers from their pack and slid them into a cubby in the changing unit.

"You're telling me you've seen another two month old baby have this kind of reaction to a book?" Morgan asked doubtfully after looking up at the older man.

"No… but you'll give him an ego problem if you keep calling him smart" Rossi teased as he closed the drawer and moved back to the sofa.

Morgan looked down at the baby whose eyes were still fixed on the book and smiled slightly. "You aren't gonna get an ego problem, are you pretty boy?"

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The sleepy team members slowly gathered in the living room, collecting the coffees off the table before finding a seat and preparing for the show. Rossi quickly found the channel on the television, collected Spencer from his play mat and sat next to Morgan as the hoard of cheerleaders and bands wound their way down 77th street with crowds cheering them on. A few minutes later two golden stars came into sight with the word 'Macy's' emblazoned in the middle, telling the team that the parade was underway.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he saw the colourful floats and balloons move down the street, Garcia filming his reaction while stifling a laugh made the profilers wake up quickly and by time the parade was halfway through they were all wide awake.

JJ slowly started moving toward the kitchen, her eyes glued to the screen as she backed inside the room to make Spencer's milk. Emily smiled as the blonde rushed round the kitchen to get the drink as quickly as she could so she wouldn't miss any of her favourite parts, resulting in a clatter of falling boxes and bottles.

Morgan grinned at Garcia then put on a shocked voice. "Oh no, Snoopy's almost gone!" He called while trying to press down the laugh that escaped his lips.

JJ rushed into the room with a look of horror which slowly turned to a wry smile as she realised she'd been tricked. "Ha ha, very funny" She mumbled while going back to the kitchen. She quickly finished making the milk and handed it to Rossi before settling down to watch the last of the parade.

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Morgan scooped up Spencer from his bassinette and lifted him into the air high above his head, the baby's mouth opened wide with excitement and surprise as he looked down from the height. When Morgan brought the infant back to earth JJ gave the man a scolding look which faded into mild amusement as Morgan lifted him back up and spun him round.

"Alright, Morgan, give him a break" JJ finally said when Spencer let out his third shrill shriek of enjoyment.

Morgan smiled to himself as he brought Spencer back down to eye level and softly kissed his forehead before passing him to the blonde and making his way to the dining room. JJ smoothed out the increasing amount of hair sprouting from the baby's head then followed him.

The smell that wafted in from the kitchen as the team took their seats was heavenly to say the least. The dominant scent was the large ham that Rossi had just taken out of the oven but others accompanied it like the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, roasted vegetables, sourdough stuffing and southern-style biscuits which were already laid out on the large table.

The team could distantly hear Rossi instructing Garcia as she carefully placed the pumpkin pie next to the apple pie to cool off.

"Now?" Garcia asked in an excited tone as she lifted the dish that the ham was sat in.

Rossi checked everything was in order, smiled at the tech queen's excitement then nodded and led her through to the dining room.

The whole team smiled and congratulated the chefs as Garcia sat down and Rossi began carving the meat. The smaller dishes were passed round from person to person so everyone could stack their plates high with food as everyone prepared to finish the last of their first thanksgiving with Spencer.

**Sorry for another long break between updates! This chapter was pretty challenging to write because I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I spent a lot of time reading up on the Macy's parade and thanksgiving recipes so that everything would be just right. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please update if you have time!**


	12. gift wrapping and a christmas prank

Garcia couldn't stop the smile that crept onto her lips as Spencer pulled off a scrap of gift wrapping paper from the roll and waved it above his head. The blonde slowly took the bright paper out of the baby's hand and placed it to one side. "Wrapping presents is hard work, isn't it, Spence?" She asked while pulling the baby onto her lap and picking up the video game she'd been attempting to wrap.

"How about we take these down to the mall and get them wrapped up there?" She said quietly while placing the infant in his play mat and gathering up the games and various other gifts off the floor and placing them in a bag which she hid at the bottom of the diaper drawer of Spencer's changing unit.

A few moments later JJ, Morgan and Emily made their way into the living room from the quickly cooling weather outside.

"It's really starting to get cold" Emily stated as she hung up her coat and pulled off her gloves. JJ murmured an agreement as she shed her outdoor clothes then strode into the kitchen with Morgan to prepare their hot drinks.

"Have you heard from Hotch or Rossi yet?" Garcia asked after settling down onto her spot on the sofa.

"Hotch called to say he and Rossi won't be back for another hour or two" The brunette explained as she sat down cross-legged next to Spencer and tickled his stomach.

"Perfect, I need to talk to you about Christmas presents for them before they get back"

"I thought we were buying them that video game thing" JJ said as she carried in two cups of tea and Morgan carried in the cups of coffee.

"I picked it up today but I think we should get something else too" Garcia stated as she took a sip of her tea then placed it on the table. "We could all buy a present each and the video game _'thing'_ can be a group present"

"Babygirl, neither of them are gonna want a lot of presents, you know that"

"They _say_ they don't want presents but that's just them trying to act all grown up" Garcia brushed off. "Besides, they'll only be getting four presents each which isn't that many when you compare them to Spencer" She added with a smirk.

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"Yes… Yes, mom, I know but I can't come up for Christmas this year" Morgan said in a dragging voice as he leant against the arm of the sofa. "I _know_ I didn't come up on thanksgiving either"

Hotch walked in the living room a few moments later while bouncing Spencer and raised his eyebrows at the man. JJ and Emily simultaneously mouthed the word 'mom' and the man responded with a nod before carrying the infant over to the changing table with one of his many teddy bear's in hand.

"It's Spencer's first Christmas, mom" Morgan continued in a pleading voice then listened to his mother for a few seconds. "Alright, what if I come up the weekend after Christmas?" He offered with a hopeful smile. There were a few moments of silence in the room before he broke into a grin and quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'll bring plenty of pictures up with me" He agreed then said goodbye, hung up with a sigh and relaxed into his chair.

"You're lucky you got off with a couple of days" Emily said with a small smile. "I've got four days with my parents after Christmas"

"How'd they talk you into that?" Morgan asked while looking slightly impressed with Emily's mom.

"I missed a couple of thanksgivings and Christmases over the last few years so she roped me into a little extra time" Emily explained then turned toward the corner of the room where Hotch was securing a clean diaper on Spencer and softly kissing his forehead. "What about you, Hotch?"

"I'm visiting Sean in New York on the weekend after Christmas too" Hotch stated as he lifted Spencer and quelled his small cry by gently rubbing his back and smoothing out a few ruffled strands of his chestnut hair.

"What about Rossi and Garcia?" JJ asked with a look of anxiety painted across her face. "I'm visiting my mom on the weekend after Christmas too… They'll be here all alone"

The group was quiet for a few moments before Morgan softly smiled and stood to take Spencer. "They'll have this little guy all weekend" He reminded the others then pulled an exaggerated smile for the baby before turning back to the girls. "Two days without us won't be enough for them" He added with a small laugh.

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JJ slowly lifted Spencer out of his crib, kissed the top of his head to settle him then carried him to the room she shared with Emily who was being stirred awake by Garcia.

"Come on, Em" Garcia urged while gently shaking the woman's shoulder. "Wake up!"

"I'm _tired_" The brunette mumbled while trying to pull the warm protection of her blanket above her head.

"Morgan and JJ are already up" The tech queen continued in an attempt to get the woman out of bed. "The presents are all downstairs and Rossi's still sleeping"

"How come Rossi gets a lie in?" Emily asked in a slightly more understandable but grumpy voice as she slowly sat up in bed.

"Because," Garcia began with a wide smile. "If you get out of bed, we're gonna surprise him"

A smile matching Garcia's slipped onto Emily's and she quickly got out of bed. JJ smirked at the two women then led them out into the corridor where Morgan and Hotch were waiting.

"This is gonna be the best prank we've pulled" Morgan said with a grin as he edged toward Rossi's bedroom door.

The women quickly followed him and Hotch reluctantly joined them a few seconds later when the bedroom door was eased open. The group lined up a few feet away from the huge bed Rossi was peacefully sleeping. Hotch looked round at the younger adults then half smiled and quietly took Spencer from JJ.

Emily and Morgan crept to one side of Rossi's bed while Garcia and JJ manoeuvred their way to the other side. Hotch rested one side of the infant's head on his chest and place his spare hand over the other ear to lessen the noise from the attack.

The four adults, that were acting more like children, took a few moments to position themselves then pounced on the older man while shouting wake up calls.

Rossi sat bolt upright as four bodies came crashing down on his bed then sighed and relaxed as they broke into laughter. "One of these days I'm gonna start locking that door" He grumbled while rubbing the sleep from his eyes and dropping back onto his bed.

Hotch couldn't help the small smirk that crept onto his lips as Morgan, Garcia, JJ and Emily rocked the bed a few times before hoping off and making their way to stand by the door. "Present time!" Garcia announced after a few moments of calm then started ushering the three other younger agents out of the room and down the stairs.

"I have to say, that was probably their best prank yet" Hotch stated with that same small smile as Rossi climbed out of bed and made his way out of the bedroom.

"If you think that one was good you'll think the one I've got planned is incredible" Rossi mumbled with a reluctant smile before they joined the rest of the group to start off their Christmas celebrations.

**I thought it would be pretty cool to show that the team have been pulling pranks on each other for quite a while and that's why Spencer loves pranking Morgan which is what inspired this chapter. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review if you've got time!**


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